Unforeseen
by ournoisyhearts
Summary: Nick is struggling to find Sebastian a birthday present. Part 5 of the Nick!POV 'verse. Nickbastian friendship.


**Unforeseen**

_And I'm caught in the crossfire of my own thoughts  
The color of my blood is all I see on the rocks_

* * *

Three days before Sebastian's eighteenth birthday, Nick realizes he has no clue what to get his roommate as a present.

Usually, Nick is very punctual when it comes to birthdays. He spends weeks fretting over the perfect gift, brainstorming and questioning until he comes up with something brilliant and the person ends up loving it. Wash, rinse, repeat. He's pretty good at reading people and what they like (and he would think that Sebastian wouldn't be an exception).

Except, here he is, staring at the back of Sebastian's head in the middle of Government and completely lacking in gift ideas.

Nick is probably over thinking the entire situation, but he really wants his present to _mean_ something, wants it to put that dumb smile on Sebastian's face and earn him a soft, mumbled, _thanks, Duval_. He wants the gift to be something that Sebastian can truly appreciate. Something to show that he cares without giving away too much.

And so, he begins to plan.

He spreads out every memory he has of Sebastian in his mind, cataloging each observation and pulling out tidbits of information as they become relevant. Sebastian chewing on a twizzler as he studies for his Lit midterm. The small bottle of Axe body wash he carries with him every morning to the shower. The ridiculous stash of Arizona Green Tea he keeps under his bed.

Each one of Sebastian's likes and interests, and Nick knows them all, but still nothing seems to jump out at him.

By the night before his roommate's birthday, Nick is exasperated.

He already knows that Jeff is planning a sort of "surprise" party with the rest of the Warblers, that Blaine has been invited and is planning to attend. And that is almost gift enough, but Nick wants, _needs_ to do something more.

He just doesn't know _what_, and it's killing him.

Sebastian senses his dilemma.

"Hey, are you alright?" He asks, lifting a brow at Nick from behind his laptop screen, and all Nick can do is nod jerkily as his brain turns at a million miles per hour.

"Fine. I'm fine."

His roommate snorts in disbelief, but thankfully lets it slide, and Nick returns to panicking.

* * *

"You need to relax," Jeff mutters. Nick immediately stops shifting his weight from foot to foot, his eyes snapping over to where Sebastian is located across the room, engrossed in a conversation with Thad and Blaine. The way his expression had shifted into one of genuine happiness at the sight of the decorated common room is still burned into Nick's memory, and that had been a few hours ago. There's something about a relaxed, _pleased_ Sebastian that Nick yearns for, basks in when it's actually present.

That doesn't change the fact that he's still anxious over his gift.

"I'm trying," he hisses back to his friend, dropping his eyes to the floor. "What if he hates it?"

"Nick," Jeff sighs, turning to place a reassuring palm on his shoulder. "He'll love it. Quit worrying, alright? You always give the best presents."

"Yeah, but..." Nick pauses, shuts his mouth, then opens it again. "This is Sebastian."

Jeff's features shift, and Nick can hear his unspoken question, but chooses to ignore it. He sucks in a nervous breath and then turns on his heel, already moving towards the door.

"I'm gonna go," he calls over his shoulder, but Jeff has already accepted it and wandered over to where Trent is standing. Nick's chest clenches guiltily, but he continues his way down the hall and up the stairs, only stopping to catch his breath once he is safely encased inside his dorm.

Sebastian's gift sits atop his bedspread, wrapped hastily in newspaper and tied up in red ribbon. It looks ugly and cheap and dumb and like Nick hadn't even _tried_-

"You bolted out of there awfully fast," Sebastian declares, and the sound of his roommate's voice startles Nick so much that he stumbles forward a step, breath catching before he whirls around to face the taller boy. Sebastian's expression is slightly amused, head tilted to one side as he folds his arms across his chest. There is a small package clasped in one of his hands, and Nick can just barely make out the scrawl of Blaine's handwriting across the tag, stomach dropping to his feet in recognition.

"I-" Nick starts, then jerkily sticks out his chin, motioning towards the gift. "What'd you get?"

Sebastian loosens his arms and stares down at the object in his hand, as if he is just remembering that it's there. "Oh, it's...it's a CD. Not really sure what's on it."

Something deeply emotional and moving, no doubt. Nick fights back his bitter thoughts before reaching back to snag his own gift, deciding to get it over with already. "Well...here. Got you something, too."

The tiniest of smiles suddenly appears on Sebastian's face, and he accepts the present carefully, setting Blaine's CD down on his desk and turning over the package between his palms. "Of course you did," he murmurs almost absently, slipping his fingers beneath the ribbon and gently slipping it off before ripping into the paper. Nick watches anxiously, wrapping his arms around his middle and shuffling his feet as Sebastian tears off the rest of the newspaper, his forehead wrinkling once he catches a glimpse of the item in his hands.

Without giving him time to respond, Nick mumbles quickly, "I didn't really know what to get you, and I just thought..."

Sebastian's fingers trail delicately across the worn cover of _The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn_, his face completely unreadable, and Nick lets his words taper off as he finds himself unable to explain any further. The silence between them is glaringly thick, and he curses himself for coming up with such a _stupid _gift, because Sebastian probably hates it. He'll never read it, or probably already has, and what's more generic than a _book_, for Christ's sakes-

"This is your favorite book."

Nick's head lifts abruptly, his gaze meeting Sebastian's as the boy's voice snaps him out of his self loathing. It's true—_Huck Finn _is Nick's favorite, and he's read it so many times that he could probably recite the thing from beginning to end. The fact that Sebastian had somehow taken note of that, though, surprises him. Cautiously, Nick nods his head, his attention falling to the reverent way in which Sebastian runs his thumb over the dog-eared corners of the pages, the stain from where Nick had spilled his latte on the book over two years ago blotching out part of the front cover.

"You want me to have this?" Sebastian continues. Nick blinks, nods again. He can't seem to find his voice, is shocked into quiet by the furrow of his roommate's eyebrows and the clenching of his fingers around the book in his hands. This, he hadn't been expecting; a careless thank you, a laugh in response, maybe. But the respect and appreciation that fills Sebastian's gaze...

It sends warmth down to Nick's toes.

"I don't need it anymore," he shrugs, and Sebastian simply looks at him, his head tipping to one side. A moment later, and he is stepping forward, holding the novel out to Nick with the most peculiar expression on his face.

"Write me an inscription?" He asks quietly. The request strikes something inside of Nick, and he grasps the book between shaking palms, struggling to find his voice.

"Pen?" He breathes, and Sebastian passes him one a few seconds later, his eyes focused on Nick the entire time. Forcing himself to steady his breathing, Nick flips open the front cover of the book and uncaps the pen with his teeth, hesitating with the tip poised over the first page as he contemplates what to write.

What is there left for him to say?

_I'm glad that we're roommates. I think you're a lot more amazing than you give yourself credit for. Twizzlers are disgusting, I don't know why you like them. Jeff thinks I'm insane for wanting to be your friend. Is that insane, though? You're interesting. I think you could really __**use**__ a friend._

The thoughts dart through his mind, weaving together in a cluttered mess, but he jots down none of them. Instead, his fingers never cease in their trembling as he scratches a set of different words onto the page, the only sound in the room coming from pen against paper. Nick can sense Sebastian's eyes on him the whole time, unwavering, and he resists the urge to stutter beneath the scrutiny, finishing the note a minute later and silently folding the novel shut.

Their fingertips brush as Nick returns the book, and Sebastian's voice barely surpasses a hushed rumble. "Thanks, Duval."

Somehow, Nick manages to find his voice and snatches his hand back, eyes dropping to the ground. "Yeah...happy birthday."

When he looks up again, Sebastian is placing the novel on his bedside table, his head tilting in the direction of the door. "You coming back down?"

"Don't think so," Nick says quietly, forcing himself to conjure up a weak smile. "Have fun, though."

He watches as Sebastian seems to hesitate a moment longer before he quietly exits the room, the door clicking shut behind him. A long breath _whooshes_ out of his lungs, and Nick immediately drops down to sit on the edge of his bed, hunching over with his elbows on his knees. He gazes blankly down at his quivering fingers, noting the way the digits curl, defeated, against the insides of his palms.

He also wonders when things got so complicated.

* * *

**_The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn_**

_Mark Twain_

_from someone who cares_

_It's strange that words are so inadequate. Yet, like the asthmatic struggling for breath, so the lover must struggle for words. -T.S. Eliot_


End file.
